The Great Void
by StarStrife
Summary: They want to lead us into the great void...an era devoid of magic. An ancient war, between magic and man has errupted again after thousands of years. Those who want to preserve magic, and beings of magic, battle those who want a world devoid of it.
1. Snowdown Railgun

The Great Void- Chapter 1: Snowdown Railgun

Kevin was glad his shift was over. Guarding the east entrance to the temple's underground vaults all day was an easy job.  
but standing there, for hours on end, in the biting cold, just wasn't his fancy. He nodded as his cousin, Alexander Andellmere, walked out to take his shift guarding the vault's entrance. "I've had more entertainment watching a bird." Alex said, looking out into the snow covered feild. "If you see your brother George lets have a little talk, alright?" he said, going back to idling when Kevin nodded and headed into the temple.

George was is a great mood as he strolled down the halls. Having just been named a third class wizard, while a low rank, he was finaly done with novices training - not only that but he was allowed to study in the vaults. He smiled at Sorceress Erica, one of his teachers,  
on his way down the hall. He stopped when he realised he had no idea where we has going. "What to do...what to do..." he said quietly,  
looking about. "You can come visit your brother once in a great while, that's why." Kevin said, walking around the corner and getting George into a headlock.

"So what's my little brother up to, hmm?" he said as George freed himself. George grinned. "I've been named a third class wizard"  
he said with a proud expression on his face, his hands at his waists. "That's good to hear! I'm sure your cousin Alex would like to hear all about how you screwed up and somehow got the rank anyways." Kevin's smile crew when George scowled. He ran down the hall before George could say anymore, twords the door leading back outside.

When the two came out Alex greeted them with a shiver and a bow. "Greetings cousins, as unamused as the rest of us I presume?" He pulled his halberd down looking at the gathered mounds of snow, "...cold." Alex turned to George. "How can you be so happy to be out in this cold weather?" he said. George's face brightened up even more, not having to wait before explaing why he was so happy After telling Alex the same he told Kevin, his mood settled down. "So have you two heard about the vaults being sealed off"  
Alex and Kevin nodded quietly, intent on learning any information the wizard had got his hands on. "It seems at the exact same time they got word the Railman Empire was coming to the temple to pay us a little visit the High Wizard, Rekaens, decided to close off the vaults."

Kevin frowned. "I hear that the High Wizard is siding with the Northern Alliance. They're at war with the Railman Empire right now"  
Just then a servant ran up to the group. "Wizard Andellmere. They're holding a meeting right now in the main hall. All wizards, no matter what rank, are obligated to attend." George smiled to his brothers. "I must be off...Good luck with your guard"

Summoner Canas Renvall was the last into the room as the doors closed. The High Wizard stood at the alter, commanding the quiet mummbling to cease. "Let us not waste time with small talk, shall we?" he said in a deep voice. Renvall nodded his agreement as the crowd around him murmurred their agreement. "As you all know, the Railman Empire is making their way for a little...visit." He frowned. "They come to take our palace as their base." the crowd stood silent, fearing that gasping would hinder their devoted attention. "These scum are ruthless. They detest magic, yet they are using wizards to destroy magic beings everywhere. They plan to start a new era, one without magi,.one where we don't exist." Renvall looked at him, a shocked expression on his face as he accidentally blurted out "The Northern Alliance!"

"During the last war the Northern and Southern continents were seperated. That path is now open again, and the empire wishs a base closer to their enemy - our home..." There was a shattering sound as an arrow flew through the stainglass windows and peirced the high wizard's head from the back of his skull. He fell down with the arrow pertuding between his eyes. Canas ran straight for the high wizard as George ran out of the hall, straight for the other two Andellmere's. Canas kneeled down, realising there was nothing he could do, when he noticed runes now glowing on the alter. They read "Destroy the vaults, or they prophecies they'll read - Escape through the tunnels or perish like me." Canas quickly erased the letters with a spell. "He knew he was going to die...what are held in the prophecies ?" Canas didn't have to wonder..."They want to lead us into thegreat void...a landdevoid of magic..."

The man stummbled backwards, holding his shield which had a huge gash from the halberd. His head was suddenly cleaved off, Kevin standing behind the falling body. Alex and Kevin were behond confused. The temple was being overrun by the attacks, and at the same time wizards were turning on other wizards within the temple. George ran out as Alex's halberd was pulled free from the chest of a fallen attack. "We're under attack! It's the Railman Empire!" he yelled to his brother and cousin. The nodded and ran into the temple with George. "What's going on!" Kevin said, seathing his sword. George frowned. "The Railman Empire has assassinated the High Wizard. Obviously many of our wizards have turned on us to join these pigs..." They turned down a set of stairs, spiraling down into the basement area - the vaults. Alex closed a door shut as the others ran in. "They don't know their way around the castle, and those damned traitors will be too busy to come down here just yet..."

A small, glowing animal ran out from behind a book shelf and twords the three Andellmeres. It suddenly dissapeared as Renvall walked out from the shadows. "Where are your loyalties! The temple, or the empire?" Kevin pounded his chest, indicating that he fought for the temple, of which's emblum was on his armor. Renvall relaxed. "I'm Summoner Canas Renvall. And you all...?" George shot the summoner a glare. "We could have been the enemy...we would have killed you. You should have attacked us while our guard was down." He frowned and walked away, further into the vaults. Kevin shook his head. "We're the vault's guards. I'm Kevin, this here is Alex...and that was George."

Kevin looked around, puzzled. "We have to escape...but how?" Renvall smiled. "I know how to open the door to a tunnel that should lead us safely away from here. We have to destroy this temple, first. We can't let them take this as their base. These vaults alone are full of prophecies that could drasticly turn the war to their side..." A young woman walked in from around the corner, George standing behind her with his arms folded. "I've found her lurking around the vaults, reading prophecies"

Kevin bowed. She was short, and small. Her brown hair was cut oddly short, yet she was clad formally. "Sorry I'm late. Got in a bet of a mess on the way here." Kevin grinned. "Hello, Merialis...I guess we can't have our--" he looked at the faces staring at him and his face redend. "..discussion." Merialis looked nervously around, then forced herself to speak. "I know I'm just a novice but I've been reading the prophecies..." she looked at George as if the wizard was about to scold her for going into the vaults without the proper rank, but he only smiled. "We have to destroy this temple"

Two wizards, with hats also identical to those of a jester, seemed to masterialize out of the darkness. Merialis ran back, deeper into the vaults and away from the wizards, while Kevin and Alex brandished their weapons. The wizard on the right speaks with a high voice, "Hello there kiddies! Let's play a game!" Two knives slipped down from his sleeves, into his hands. He pulled them above his head. Canas and George started to chant something. "Magic? Why... why... why! Y'know, from where I come from we fought with knives. Well not really." The wizard on right tossed his knives, the other wizard seemed to toss his hands as well but with nothing to toss. The knives flew through the wizards as if light was thrown at them, yet they both fell down in crippling pain.

Deeper in the vaults, away from the fighting, Merialis drew a large pentagram on the ground with her fingers. It flashed white breifly, then began to glow red. She looked up and ran to the door to the tunnels - sealed off. "What to use...what to use..." her face lit up when she got an idea. She drew another, smaller, pentagram on the door with her index finger. It flashed red and with only a three second delay, in which Merialis was already behind a bookcase, there was an explosion and the door shattered into splitters. She shouted out, forgetting there was a battle in progress. "The tunnel is open!"

The two wizards, fixed on Canas and George, didn't realise that Kevin was coming at them. He ducked down and then thrusted his sword up into one's belly and under their rib-cages. His sword exploded through the wizard's chest, bone and blood spraying everywhere. In a flash of light the wizard's body vanished, the other wizard remained. "Hey, why did you kill my doppelgang-- oops! ta-ta for now!" The wizard bowed with his hat and then vanished. Alexander already had George and Canas up, each had an army around his shoulders, and helping them limp twords the tunnel entrance. "Don't worry...it must have been an illusion..." he said as they met up with Kevin and Merialis. Kevin nodded as he took Merialis's hand and moved through the entrance. "Why use your energy hurting someone physicaly when you can destroy their mind?" Kevin simply said as they all walked into the dark depths of a passage that had been blocked off for thousands of years.  
End Chapter 1

Cast:  
Kevin Andellmere(Quatre12, Star Strife)  
George Andellmere(JacobM)  
Alexander Andellmere(Painemare)  
Merilais Shu(Shu)  
Canas Renvall(RoboCloud)

Notes: This is based off of a random AIM RP. Expect more of why the war is going of and characters from the Railman Empire and the Northern Alliance introduced. Visit for more information.


	2. Gateway to Illusion

The Great Void- Chapter 2: Gateway to Illusion 

Kevin ran a hand agenst the wall to his left, gripping Merilais's hand tight in his other hand. "I can't see a thing down here"  
Merialis looked from Kevin to the wall of the tunnel, her eyes straining in the dark. "Neither can I...I can't even tell if anyone else is down or made it down here..." Kevin frowned. "We have how many wizards and noone thinks to light us some fire?" He pulled Merilais closer to him, grinning. "Well since noone can see us..."

She glared at him in the dark..."...Hmh." She pulled her hand from Kevin's. "Hey light! Yes!" she said, noticing a ball of flame hovering from George's palm up ahead. "Ah, thank you George. This makes trying to navigate through the tunnel with my halberd much easier"  
Alex said, trying to make sure he wasn't stabbing people with the point of his halberd as they walked through the dark caves.  
"Thanks a bunch, brother." Kevin said with a frown, finaly catching up with the group. "Your welcome Kevin!" Geroge grinned.

"You guys have been in the vaults...Have you any idea why these tunnels were sealed off for thousands of years? Or what the prophecies said about the temple" Kevin said to the three weilding magic: his brother George, the wizard Canas and Merilias. Merilias looked nervously around. "...Er...I've never been in the vaults or the temple until just now..." Alex's halberd struck back and forth from left to right on the walls, he began to be irritated and groaned annoyingly "Oh...for the love of". George ignored everything around him and concentrated on the fire in his hand. He didn't hear the question asked so Kevin assumed that ment he didn't know anything of use. Canas shrugged and said, "I don't have the gift for prophecy, only the calling for elemental magic..." He looked at the shadows the fireball cast upon the walls. He was slightly unnerved, but didn't think much of it.

Kevin's Path:

Kevin was annoyed by the silence and finaly turned around, intent on starting a conversation no matter what. His eyes went wide when he saw noone about. He had noticed the fire his brother was casting dissapear from behind him but he didn't think much of it as torches lit themselves ahead of him...and oddly extinguished as he moved away.  
"George? Alex? This isn't funny..." he called out quietly, looking into the seemingly endless shadow of where he had came from. He took a step forward, only to hear the most gutwrentching sound he had heard all day...the howl of a wolf. He backed up - low, muffled sounds growing louder and clearer by the second. That's when he saw them, the only things that had been able to peirce the seemingly endless darkness. Two red dots, then four, then eight. He slowly became aware of what the sound he heard was. Blood hounds.

He turned and started into a dead run. He could outrun them, he told himself, he had to. But he knew he couldn't. They would be on his heels in no time...and then what would he do? He came apon a fork and turned right. Panting, he came to a stop, and drew his sword. He had decided that wasting energy running in this maze, of which he wasn't sure if there was an unsealed exit. There were no sounds exept for Kevin's low breathing. The red dots in the darkness - the eyes, had dissapeared. He causiously started to walk backwards, thinking of how he could have lost the hounds. It all came to him in a flash.

"Dear Creator..." he said aloud apon realizing what happened. The hounds lived in these caves, they could see in the dark better than he could in the light, and the hounds weren't stupid. "The fork..." he said, no longer walking backwards. The red eyes came in view. He turned to see other hounds walk into the light of the torches ahead, causiously at first, but with more confidence when they found that the torchlight didn't hurt them. They had taken the other path in the fork, ran up ahead of him, and routed him. He was surronded, he knew he couldn't run. He drew his claymore and stood facing the wall, looking left then right, so he could turn to whichever side got there first. It was his left.

Kevin turned, dragging his blade along the ground. He swung up, slicing through a hound's leg. It crashed to the ground in a loud cry, blood and bone crashing into a wall. Another came at him, from the right. He flipped the sword around, and pointing it down he thrust it into the hound's skull, just before it could bite his knees. He turned to see a hound in the air, it's jaws wide. Time felt like it stopped, he thought he could count the monsters teeth if he wanted to, but instead closed his eyes. The hound was inchs from his throat. Kevin opened his eyes when something wet hit his face. Was it his own blood? he wondered. His sword was through the belly of the hound, right up through it's back. He let it slide off his blade, it's blood dripping down from the ceiling into a blood around the body.

Kevin knew he was a swordsman of exeptional skill, but this was behond anything he could have done. He knew it was impossible, yet the hound lay dead at his feet. He didn't have time to poder, though. He trust his sword into a blood hound, right through it's face. He pulled to the left, his sword cutting itself free of the head while giving the ground another gift of blood and gore. He turned to where the torchs lit his path and contiued on walking. "Where ever you are...I hope you're all safer than I am." he sighed...

Merilais's Path:

George made the fireball vanish and instead took out a small white orb. He channeled the warm flow of magic into it and the orb began to glow "There we go, no more burning hand". Alex pulled his halberd to one side then reversing the weight he slammed it against part of the wall to his right. His halberd cracked the old walls of the tunnel, a bit more than they already were that is. Marialis gazed around in the dim light provided by George. Failing to spot Kevin behind her, she stopped. "Where'd Kevin go?" she asked Canas, who shook his head and continued down the path, deep in thought.

Kevin caught up to the group. "Sorry lass, you guys were walkin' a bit to fasts for me, that's all." he said, his voice deeper than usual. "We should be out in no time, darlyn'" Kevin said, walking beside Merialis. "Oh, good, you're safe.." Canas gave a sigh of relief. George however wasn't in the least bit relaxed. "It feels like something's following us"  
Alex came to a sudden stop when he heard a distinctive noise, one he had heard once before when traveling with the Legion of Steel. The whole group stopped, giving Alex confused looks. "Canas, George...come up ahead with me. We'd better check this out." Without a word they followed Alex up ahead, down the path. Merilais didn't need the extra light anymore since they had came apon the weird torchs, anyways.

Merilais frowned. "Oh great, they leave me here with this jerk..." he seemed mummbled to herself, loud enough for Kevin to hear. "Get a move on, lass." Kevin pushed Merilais forward, and hard. She stummbled a bit before gaining her footing. She turned around with the intention of hitting Kevin."Kevin! That was a little rough, don't you think?" she said in a mix of anger and confusion. Kevin only smiled. "We're almost out..." He grabbed her hand and started to drag her forward. "So hurry up!" Merilais tried to pull her hand away "Ow! What are you doing? ...Wait!"

The noise grew as advancement into the tunnel was further, he moved his halberd vertically in front of him. "I'm ready for anything." he said, Canas and George still confused as to why Alex had brought them up ahead. "Guys.. We should stop moving this fast.. if theres something following us or waiting for us we will just get to our doom faster by speeding up." George causioned Alex. Canas was about to speak but froze when from out of the darkness pairs of red dots started to appear. Alex spoke to them both in a hushed tone. "When you're alone in the dead of night avoid the crimson gaze, stay out of their sight." he said. George and Canas finaly knew what Alex had heard. Blood hounds.

"How would you know we're almost there?" Merilais stopped, eyeing Kevin suspciously. Kevin turned twords her, a vicious smile cast over his face. "Don't you worry about that, lass." He grabbed her wrist again. "Now come on!" Merialis attempted to stop. "You're being weird! I mean, you always seem abrasive...but...you're acting very bold right now! Whats wrong with you"  
Kevin raised his hand, and for the first time smack the girl across her face. "I'm perfectly fine, darlyn!" he now spoke with a rasp in his voice. "What the hell! What is wrong with you!" She stepped backwards angerly tossing her cape aside. "You dare hit me?"

There was a large wolf and a pack that followed behind, saliva dripped down from it's blood thirsty jaws, it's fur black and eyes red, expectedly it lunged forward at Alex. George and Canas both flung their hands out, a wall of fire from wall to wall appearing in the tunnel before Alex. Alex backed up with a grin "They shouldn't be able to get through this. We'll fight them when Kevin and Merilais are here to provide assistance." he said. Two of the hounds slowly walked through, not a burn mark anywhere. George and Canas quickly dispelled the fire wall, realising why these things were sometimes called 'hell hounds'.

"...You're not Kevin at all! Who are you!" She stomped her foot down, removing a small cylinder from the pocket of her dress and handled it like a hot object waiting for release...Kevin threw his right first into her jaw, knocking her back a step. "You've almost got it lassy. I'm not Kevin...but without Kevin there'd be no me!" She stumbled backwards, placing her free hand on her jaw, massaging it.  
Pressing a button on the object in her hand, there was a loud CLANK as a full four foot lance locked into place, its blades spring from the end of ethier end. Swinging it wildly in anger, she growled.  
"Your a relfection aren't you? It's an illusionary spell, isn't it!" she yelled, causing Kevin's grin to widen. "And I thought you never read the books in the vault."

Alex and George continued to battle the hounds, Alex impaling them and George sending lightning bolts from his hands into them. Canas had no idea what to do. When they came apon a large, dark pit it accored to him that they needed to find a differant route to escape the endless, and now obviously dangerous tunnels. Alex and George decided to take up the defence while Canas figured out a way for them to escape. Alex side stepped a charging hound, letting it plummet down into the pit. He assumed there were spikes at the bottom by the yelps from the creatures, it didn't sound like they died from falling agenst the ground. That's when Canas thought of it. The started mummbling while drawing letters on the ground infront of the pit.

"You've got it, lass!" The reflection said. It drew a sword, swinging it at Merilais. Wheather it was an illusion or not, it's punchs felt real enough - she had no intentions of seeing it it's sword did aswell.  
Throwing her lance before her, she parryed the attack, the sword dropping to the ground before her. Before the illusion could even look to the sword she already had her lance to his neck. The reflection frowned. "As long as your friend is in that corridor of these tunnels the magic will create a copy of him. Killing this one doesn't matter, another will soon take it's place. That is if the blood hounds don't kill your friend first, darlyn." That was the last darlyn she would stand. She thrust her lance into it's throat. White blood poured from the wound as she took the weapon out. She stared at it, astonished, until there was a flash of light. It was as if the illusion was hit by lightning with no sound, and then it dissapeared. She didn't have time to think of what she read about this magic in the vaults, she ran forward, deeper into the cave - to where Alex had lead the two wizards off to. "I have to warn them of the dangers in these caves..."

The pit was finaly small enough to jump over. Alex, George and Canas took their chance, leaping over what was once a huge, gaping hole. Canas, also known as Wizard Renvall, grinned. He knew his magic, used to fill the gap in the pit, wouldn't hold long. They ran down the hall a few feet until they heard the sound of a girl, and hounds. Canas's grin slowly turned to a frown as he saw Merilais running forward. The pit was re-expanding, she wouldn't make the jump. Merilais found out all too late what was before her, it would have been close to impossible for her to stop at the speed she was running in, and given how close to the pit she was. All she could do was make a leap...

The Paths Join:

He grasped her wrist, and her his. There was a moment of silence, before the grunts of her being pulled up by the man, and the others gasping at the sight of their comrade. "Kevin? Is that really you"  
Merilais asked when Kevin had her out of the pit. "Who else would I be?" he said with a confused face. He helped her up and grinned. "Now you owe me. I know just how you can repay me. First"  
his voice trailed off when he turned to see the ground before them break away. They all backed up slowly, finaly into a small peice of land between the pit and where the ground broke off. "How"  
George asked Canas, both wizards apparently obvious to how this could have happened. Alex shook his head, leaning on his spear. "We came so far...how are we going to get out of this one"  
Kevin frowned and took a step forward. "What are you all talking about?" It seemed to them as if he walk floating on nothing. Slowly Alex and Merilais walked up, followed by the two wizards.

"How...is this an illusion..but the ground?" Merilais asked Kevin, utterly surprised that he would know that this was actually solid ground. "What do you mean?" he stopped down twice."The ground is fine"  
They all looked at him as if he was insane. Before they could start questioning him, they saw it. He didn't dare draw breath, for fear that it would somehow scare it away. An opening, and a dim light. They all sprinted for the light, and soon found themselves outside, on the side of a mountain...out of the cave. "So...where are we?" Alex asked Kevin. Kevin shook his head. "We don't even know where he were supposta go after escaping the temple..." He looked up at the setting sun. "I guess it's best we make camp...away from where the hounds were..."

Cast:  
Kevin Andellmere(Quatre12, Star Strife)  
George Andellmere(JacobM)  
Alexander Andellmere(Painemare)  
Merilais Shu(Shu)  
Canas Renvall(RoboCloud)


End file.
